The Green princess
by ForGoodnessSake
Summary: Light Princess AU. When Vinkun prince Fiyero declares war on Munchkinland after Nessa's death, floating green princess Elphaba is forced out of hiding. In defiance of her father, she and Glinda flee the kingdom, only for Elphaba to run into Fiyero. Will they unite the kingdoms or does fate have other plans in store for them?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Once upon a time, there lived a princess and a prince, in two separate kingdoms divided by an emerald wilderness.

The people rumoured that long ago, before the war, there had been a city there, uniting the two kingdoms in harmony. But the kingdoms had been at each other's throats for generations, the wilderness now being inhabited by dangerous creatures such as dragons, and so the rumours were often dismissed as just that; rumours. The wilderness was nothing but a place of chaos, danger, and strange secrets.

In the east, there was Munchkinland, a widespread farmland with bountiful crops, ruled by a kind king and queen. The people adored them, and their daughter as well. The young princess' skin, green as the wilderness that divided the two kingdoms, was seen as a favourable sign.

Everyone was certain the princess would be the one to end the war and unite the two kingdoms.

But one day, when the queen was pregnant with her second child, she mysteriously fell ill. Though the newborn princess was saved, healthy and well, queen Melena died.

Shadows washed over Munchkinland. The king wept, the kingdom wept, even the newborn princess wept. Because young as the girl was, she could still sense something was amiss.

Of all the people, only the green princess' eyes stayed dry. To her, everyone's grief was like a furious lagoon that wanted to drown her. So she tried to follow her mother to heaven by lifting her feet and floating.

From that day, Elphaba had no gravity, and never cried.

Because she was so light, Elphaba couldn't ride or fight like her sister, princess Nessarose, and had to be tied down to prevent her from floating away. Her inability to cry or feel any kind of sorrow made her more and more abhorrent to the people, who had begun to see the girl's skin as a sign of a curse instead of a blessing.

The Munchkins wondered if the girl was a witch.

Mortified by their hostility, her father, king Frexspar, felt compelled to lock Elphaba in a tower, with no one but a young orphan to keep her company.

With the queen dead, and his eldest daughter locked in a tower, the king forgot the meaning of family. He favoured only his youngest daughter, future queen Nessarose, the people's champion.

Elphaba was forgotten.

* * *

To the west of Munchkinland was its enemy, the Vinkus, a scorching desert full of gold, ruled by the tyrant king Marillot. He was feared by all, Vinkuns and Munchkins alike.

One day his wife questioned his tyranny. Soon thereafter she mysteriously died.

The people did not dare weep for their dead queen, fearing the king too much. Only the eldest prince, Fiyero, wept for his dead mother, and as she went to Heaven, his laughter followed her.

From that day Fiyero's heart was so heavy, that he never smiled, which son earned him the nickname 'the solemn prince'.

As Fiyero grew up he never put a foot wrong, and his tyrant father saw in him nothing but a champion to rival Munchkinland's well-loved Nessarose. Only the falconer's daughter pitied the sad soldier. So one day she gave him his late mother's falcon.

The falcon, whom he named Chistery, made the prince's life worth living, but neither the falcon nor his brother Boq could make him smile.

* * *

Both kingdoms craved the other's riches. Even with its bountiful crops, Munchkinland thirsted after the Vinkun gold. And the Vinkus, whose land consisted of fruitless deserts, hungered after Munchkinland's food supply.

Then one day, out of the blue, a Vinkun spy shot and killed Elphaba's sister, princess Nessarose.

In a second, Munchkinland had no champion, and no future queen. And with its current king old and lame, Munchkinland's crumbling army and very future were left in the hands of a sixteen year old, green, floating princess!

* * *

_A/N: I own neither Wicked nor the Light Princess. If I did I would be much richer and the Light Princess would still be running on the West End.__  
_


	2. Chapter 1: Everything is changing

The news of future queen Nessarose's death had soon reached all corners of the land, and people from all across the Vinkus had gathered at Kiamo Ko, the royal palace. Fiyero had seen them arrive, the window in front of his desk looking out on the main palace gates.

But even if he hadn't seen them, it would have been hard to miss his brother's continuous talk about the subject. Ever since the news had reached the palace that day, it was all Boq seemed to be able to talk about.

He wished there was some way to shut him up, so he could focus on his declaration of war.

Boq, who had noticed his brother's indifference, had meanwhile managed to suppress his excitement long enough to bother Fiyero about his attitude.

"Brother, why so glum? Munchkinland lost its champion. Their army is in ruins, their ruler is dying, and their only line of defence is a green, floating freak. We have won this war!"

"We have not won this war yet." Fiyero spoke, signing his name on the parchment. "It is still a long way from here to Munchkinland, truly anything could happen. The odds are in our favour, but one victory does not make us conquerors. We would do well to remember that."

"Spoken like a true king." Both boys immediately halted their conversation at their father's entrance. To an outsider, it would seem as if they were two soldiers saluting their commander, rather than two sons greeting their father. But such was life as a son of a tryant king.

"Thank you, father." Fiyero was the first to greet him, rolling up the piece of parchment from his desk. "The war declaration for Munchkinland. I will send it out within the hour."

Marillot waved it away. "Yes, yes, if you feel like you must. Just remember your priorities lie with mobilizing our army, not with sending letters to our enemy."

"I know my duty, father. I've trained for this since the day mother died. I will lead our armies into Munchkinland and seize their lands. I'm merely giving them a fair warning." Fiyero spoke.

"Once again I say; if you feel like you must. Personally, I do not see much use in it." "It's the right thing to do, father." Fiyero countered, before being stopped by his father.

"Son, I respect your need for chivalry. But I did not become the man I am today by handing out fair warnings. I became the man I am today by doing what was right for us, for our land. I put the Vinkus first, no matter the cost. You would do well to remember that."

"Understood, father."

"Good." Marillot nodded, before turning and leaving the room. "Now walk, you've got a speech to give."

Both princes visibly relaxed when their father had left. "He sure knows how to leave an impression, doesn't he?" Boq commented. Fiyero decided not to comment on that, instead motioning for Boq to follow him.

"So, what did he mean this time, 'no matter the cost'?" The younger prince asked, almost running to keep up with his elder brother.

Fiyero sighed. "Must you always ask so many questions?" "Well, how else am I going to learn?" his brother countered.

"Fair enough. He means that neither of us must let our emotions get the better of us. Our objective is to expand the kingdom of the Vinkus, and in order to do so we must kill both king and daughter. Frankly, I don't see why he is so worried. A lame old king and a flying green freak, how hard can it be?"

If the lack of emotion in his voice worried Boq, he didn't let it show. His brother still managed so sense his unease, however, and clasped his hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, brother. This is going to be the war to end all wars, and we are destined to win this. Today is the day everything changes."

And with that, both brothers stepped out onto the balcony, where their father was already speaking to the people. The elder prince's falcon, Chistery, was resting on the shoulder of the royal falconer, Shenshen. Fiyero figured now was as good a time as any to send out the message, as he was not yet needed to speak.

He had just sent Chistery up in the air when his father began introducing him. "All the gold in the world could not buy a champion strong enough to match this prince. People of the Vinkus, the commander of your army and your future king, Fiyero Tiggular."

Fiyero just managed to catch his bother mouthing 'good luck', before taking his father's place at the front of the balcony.

"Vinkun warriors. Thanks to the bravest of you, Nessarose Thropp is dead!" He paused, allowing the crowd to cheer at the news. "We've just heard her sister is out of her tower. The lame king thinks a flying green girl will succeed him." Laughter followed, both from the crowd and from his father and brother behind him. He supposed it was an idiotic thing to believe, but couldn't bring himself to smile. "I can assure you that Munchkinland will soon cease to exist. We will cross the wilderness, enter their kingdom, execute king and daughter, and be the masters of their lands. Vinkus evermore!"

As the crowd kept chanting "Vinkus evermore, Vinkus evermore!", everyone turned to leave the balcony. Speeches were all fine and dandy, there was still a war going on, a war that needed to be won. And that meant everyone had a lot of work to do.

* * *

On the other side of the wilderness, in Munchkinland, Elphaba and Glinda's privacy was rudely interrupted by king Frexspar. "Get her down from there!" He ordered the blonde, who began pulling at the ribbon around Elphaba's ankle. "She is a queen now, a queen who must take responsibility for her kingdom. I cannot have her flying up there like some bird."

"Glinda, don't." Elphaba spoke. "And I'm not a bird." She continued, turning to her father. "I have no wings, no feathers, and more importantly; no gravity. But whether or not I resemble a bird isn't important. What's important is that I am not coming down from here."

"Elphaba, don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not being ridiculous, father. I simply don't feel like coming down only to be subjected to ridicule from people who never wanted me as their future queen in the first place. I'm content staying where I am, thank you very much."

Unfortunately for her, Frexpar wasn't about to take no for an answer, especially from his daughter. "You are the crown princess now, Elphaba. The line of succession makes it so. Neither of us are happy with it, but-"

"But what, father?" Elphaba interrupted him. "Please, do tell. Because I remember the line of succession being changed once before, when my younger sister was the crown princess instead of me. The people seemed quite content with a change before, I'm sure they can change it again."

"Why don't you just try it, El- princess." Glinda weakly offered. "You are next in line, after all. It might not be so bad."

Elphaba shook her head. "Nonsense. Besides, I do not care about what happens to Munchkinland. That was Nessa's job, not min- let me go!"

A strong tug at the ribbon around her ankle, pulling her downward, was enough to interrupt Elphaba. Glinda, who had been holding the ribbon before, had been roughly pushed aside, and the serjeant-at-arms was now the one bringing her down to the ground.

"You will bring her down, and then you will teach her how to fight, no matter the cost." The king spoke to the serjeant. "As for you, young lady, you will take your place as future queen!" He continued, this time addressing Elphaba.

He called forward a handful of servants, each carrying an item that once belonged to Nessarose. One was carrying a crown, one an orb, one a spear. It took two servants to carry the robe, and both Glinda and Elphaba were staring in disbelief.

"Is that all for her?" The blonde asked. Her question was answered when the crown was placed roughly on Elphaba's head, soon followed by the robe that was raped around her shoulders. Once the orb and spear were placed in her hands, and everyone was satisfied with the items' ability to weigh the green girl down enough, the king left to speak to the people of Munchkinland. Pfannee, the serjeant-at-arms, pushed Elphaba outside, indicating she too had somewhere to be.

"Are they insane?!" She exclaimed, as soon as Glinda had caught up with her. Pfannee was still following them, ensuring they didn't run off, but Elphaba didn't care much for her opinion. "Apparently." The blonde replied, and Elphaba was glad to hear her friend didn't seem to care much for Pfannee either.

Her good mood was soon ruined, however, after they walked past a group of servants in the palace hallways. They had halted their conversation as soon as they had spotted the princess, but not quite soon enough for the girls to miss what they had been talking about.

"Endless wailing and name calling, it's like mother's death all over again." Elphaba mumbled. "'She can't fight, she can't ride, she's cursed, she's a witch, what is the king thinking?' I'd almost expect them to throw me back into the tower, but I doubt I'll be so lucky."

Glinda sympathetically linked Elphaba's arm with her. "I'd tell you it could be worse because at least you look nice, but it seems they took care of that as well. You look like Ozma the Bilious."

Staring down at her strange attire, Elphaba managed to smile at Glinda's words. "I suppose I do, don't I?"

Somewhere above them, they could hear king Frexpar Thropp the Goodly being introduced. Soon after he had begun speaking, however, Elphaba decided to stop paying attention to what was being said. If all her father was going to talk about was how all of Munchkinland was worth nothing without her younger sister, she wasn't interested.

Much too soon, however, she was roughly being pushed outside. Much to her surprise, she found the Munchkins actually staring at her with some form of hope in their eyes. Elphaba supposed everything must have changed severely if they were putting their faith in a girl they had once called cursed.

"Don't be fooled by them." Pfannee suddenly spoke, glaring at Elphaba. "They are all still hoping you will magically transform into your sister. Either that, or they are hoping a little witch like you can raise her from the dead."

Pushing a piece of parchment into Elphaba's hands, she continued. "So do I, of course, but I'm not as hopeful as them. Personally, I doubt you can even properly read this speech without messing it up."

With that, Pfannee pushed her forward again, and it took Elphaba every last bit of self-control not to run back and lash out at her. She supposed the royal items weighing her down also helped.

Vowing that she would soon smash these shackles that bound her to the ground into smithereens, she folded the piece of parchment open and began to read.

"Munchkin friends. I know you weep for _Nessarose_," she spoke the name with a certain level of contempt, which the audience seemed to miss. Apparently the mere mention of their dead champion's name was enough to have everyone burst into tears all over again. Elphaba rolled her eyes and continued reading, but as she kept going, each word was spoken more incredulously than the last. "I assure you these hands have been trained to ride and fight… all the way to the Vinkun desert?! I'm Ozma, Kumbricia, Lurline-"

At this point she let the written speech fall to the floor, thinking it too absurd to continue. "Lurline, how ridiculous." She scoffed, throwing down the orb as well and shrugging off her mantle. "I couldn't defend you miserable, hypocritical land-lovers even if I wanted to."

She had already begun floating a little by the time she took of the crown, which Glinda caught before it hit the ground. The blonde was glaring at Elphaba, wondering what in Oz' name was going on in the green girl's head, but decided not to speak out. This was a disaster already, no need to make it worse.

Just as Elphaba was about to yell at her father, a falcon flew by. To Elphaba, who had always loved animals, this was enough of a distraction. "Who are you then?" She asked, motioning for the falcon to come closer. "You're quite an odd creature, aren't you?"

"What is it?" The king asked, and Elphaba rolled her eyes. "It's a bird, father, though I understand your confusion, considering you mistook me for one just an hour ago."

"It's from the Vinkus, your highness." Pfannee spoke, but Elphaba ignored her, instead taking the piece of parchment from the bird.

Though the green girl began reading the letter with an air of indifference, the horror at the latter part of the message was apparent. "The solemn prince of the Vinkus declares war on us. And he's coming to rip out your heart and mine?!" Crumbling up the letter and throwing it on the balcony, she motioned for Glinda to grab hold of the ribbon attached to her ankle. "I think I'll go back to the tower now. With your leave, father."

Of course Elphaba didn't wait for an answer.

As the two girls left, they could still hear Frexpar shouting at Elphaba about how she would change her ways soon, and the people's chanting of 'May the Unnamed God help Munchkinland' was audible even when they were back in the tower.

* * *

_A/N: Disclaimer in the prologue, updates will be weekly from now on. For those interested, a promo of the show I'm basing this fic on can be found on youtube ( /watch?v=v3JlmPLG26k )_


	3. Chapter 2: Another fairy story

"Well, that went well, didn't it?" The girls had been back in the tower for nearly 15 minutes now, and Glinda was the first to break the silence. It earned her little more than a groan from Elphaba, who was now floating near the top shelf of the bookcase.

"Well, it wasn't all my fault, was it? I did manage to read that ridiculous speech."

"You also managed to float up to the royal balcony." Glinda giggled. "It would have been quite funny had it not been such a disaster for your father."

"It being a disaster for my father is exactly what makes it funny." Elphaba countered with a smirk. "But either way, it's over now. We're home, we're safe-"

"Until the Winkies come to tear out your heart." The blonde interrupted. This earned her another groan from Elphaba. "Oh Glinda, forget it!"

"No!"

The fierceness of the tiny blonde's voice startled Elphaba. She often forgot how determined Glinda could be when she truly had her heart set on something. For some reason, she had chosen Elphaba's safety as one of those things, and she seemed truly distraught at the idea of Elphaba's heart being ripped from her chest. Despite the fact that Glinda was worrying about something that would never happen to a girl who had never been the kindest of people, Elphaba felt slightly guilty about making her feel that way.

Slowly making her way down, later helped by Glinda pulling at the ribbon, she wrapped her arms around the blonde to comfort her. "Pretending it never happened won't mean it actually never happened, you know." Glinda pouted, and Elphaba smiled.

"I know, my sweet. But we're up in this tower, and there is no way Winkies are coming up here." Glinda looked up at her. "You promise?"

Elphaba nodded. "I promise. If the world's a mess, that's their problem, and I want no part in it." That seemed to be enough to please the blonde, who had begun resting her head on Elphaba's shoulder.

Running her green fingers through the girl's hair, Elphaba sighed. "I do feel sorry for you though, sometimes. You're stuck in this tower just to keep me company, that can't be something that makes you happy."

Glinda hummed in contentment. "You're right, it wasn't the bright future I envisioned when I was little. But now I'm just happy if you're happy, Elphie."

Grinning at the use of the nickname, Elphaba floated a few inches upward again. "Speaking of stories, how about we read another one of mother's books. The little match girl, maybe?"

This time, it was Glinda's turn to groan in annoyance. "Must we? We've read all of these a thousand times already!"

Elphaba laughed. "Very well then. How about I think of a story myself this time? Something new, to amuse you."

Glinda seemed to consider this for a few seconds, but then nodded. "Fine. As long as you don't float all the way up to the ceiling again. I'm much to comfortable right now."

"I'll try." Elphaba promised, though doubting the blonde's weight would be enough to keep her down. "Alright. Another day, another fairy story. Once upon a time there lived a match girl-"

"Elphie!" the blonde interrupted her, swatting her chest. "You promised a new story, you're just retelling the little match girl."

Wincing in pain – the blonde could apparently pack quite a punch when she wanted to – Elphaba continued. "It is a new story, I promise. Anyway, the little girl would light up her matches in the dark, because she could see her seventh heaven in the flames.

"In the flames, she would see both her parents were still alive, and they were king and queen. The little girl herself was a princess, trained to ride and fight like a champion. And later, when the day was done, she would tell her parents a story, a new one each night. Together, the three of them for a true loving family, and the little girl couldn't be happier."

As Elphaba spoke, losing herself in the world she was creating, Glinda cuddled up closer to her best friend. It didn't take a genius to figure out who the little girl was Elphaba was talking about.

The princess had told her she felt sorry for Glinda for being locked up in a tower for over 10 years, but Glinda felt just as sorry for her princess. Elphaba deserved everything she was dreaming up in that story of hers, and Glinda's heart ached for her, because she knew the green girl would never get it.

"The little girl's father loves her so much, he throws her a huge party every year on her birthday, with games that he leads. And the little girl gets to compete against children her own age that day, all of whom she beats. She rides the best, and always climbs the highest walls. She likes climbing, because she can look out over the entire kingdom when she reaches the top and pretend she is already their queen, ruler of all the people down there.

"But always as she is racing back when her father calls, her match flickers out, and her dream turns into a nightmare. Here, her mother is dead, and her father only thinks her useful when she brings in the money she gets from selling matches. So she lights another match, and her dream family flickers to life again. Her mother is there when she goes inside, waiting with a hug and a kiss. And so is her father, who lets her do as she pleases.

"That's why the match girl lights match after match until she dies in the snow. And no one ever knew of the exquisite life she dreamt for herself in the clouds and the light of the flame. The end."

Throughout the story, Glinda had begun to tear up a little, but before she could ask Elphaba what the story was about (as if she didn't already know), she was interrupted by the king storming into the tower.

Immediately, the two girls jump apart. Glinda fixes her dress and curtsies, and Elphaba casually lets herself float upwards again. "Hello, father."

"What do you think I should do, Elphaba?" The king asks, looking older than ever.

"I was a disaster, I know-" but the king interrupts her before she can finish. "Never mind the Vinkuns, our own people may kill us!"

The green girl laughed. "I'm certain it wasn't that bad. Do you remember when I was three and you gave me that wooden bird-" but once again she was interrupted.

"You're sixteen now! When your sister was only fourteen she had already commanded the army and won ten battles."

Glinda was watching their conversation with great interest. If she was perfectly honest, though, it seemed more like two monologues clashing rather than an actual conversation. Neither the king nor the princess were paying any attention to what the other was saying.

"Father, can we visit mother's grave?"

"A declaration of war. They murdered my daughter. Our soldier's spirits are crushed. And what do you do? You fly!"

"Float, actually! You don't understand that I can't help the way I am-"

"I father you, you throw your love back into my face!"

This hit a nerve with Elphaba, who laughed before glaring at down at Frexpar. "Your _love_, father? Sorry, I'm confused, because I can count the times you've visited me here on one hand, and it's twice. Today."

Fuming with anger, she continued. "I embarrassed you, and you banished me. You may have been 'father' to Nessarose, but not to me!"

"They look to you for strength-" The king either hadn't heard Elphaba, or he had simply chosen not to pay attention. Glancing down at Glinda, Elphaba groaned. "Is he deaf?"

"Elphaba, come down here!"

"How many times do I have to say it, no!" Turning back to face Glinda, Elphaba smiled, attempting to ignore her father. "How about another story, Glinda. Peter Pan? Or maybe you should think of a story this time."

Glinda could only smile politely at Elphaba. As much as she loved her princess, she really didn't want to be involved in the fight between the girl and her father. Luckily for her, Frexpar Thropp wasn't even closed to finished.

"You will change, Elphaba. You are the crown princess of Munchkinland now, for heaven's sake act like it!"

"Yes, I know! You've been yelling the same lines at me for the past few hours. Your precious Nessa died, and now I have to take her place because you fear the wrath of our people. But I am not interested!"

"We'll lose Munchkinland. Our survival depends on your ability to commend our soldiers." The king was nearly begging now, but Elphaba would have none of it.

"I know, _I know_. It's my supposed duty and destiny to take Nessarose's place. Might I remind you that people used to think my destiny was to bring peace, after which my destiny changed to cursing this land for all eternity. But as I've told you a thousand times now; I don't want anything to do with it. Even if I wanted something to do with 'destiny', I'll pick the one where I'm the one cursing this land to kingdom come."

"You cannot _choose_ your destiny, Elphaba." Frexpar growled. "You are the king's eldest child, your destiny is to lead the army to glory. A royal child is a general, that is how it's always been. It is what's expected of you."

"Eldest, you say? I think I missed the memo where my sister who was two years younger than me was actually older than I am." Elphaba laughed. "Ten years ago, you said 'to hell with the royal line' when you locked me in this tower. Ten years ago is when you decided the family business wasn't for me. I think we call this 'reaping what you sow', father."

It was becoming more and more difficult for Frexpar to stay calm. "I understand that this is difficult for you, Elphaba. I too am a king's child, I know of the weight of a task like this. Ruling a kingdom is not an easy feat, and my father forced it upon me. I do not want to be the man he was and force this upon you, but I need an heir. For Oz' sake, be reasonable!"

"Father, forget it! That birdie's flown ten years ago. I'm not queen material, and everyone knows it. Even you did, which is why you locked me away in the first place. For all I care, you can shove that crown up your-"

"Enough!"

Everyone in the room fell silent, and even Elphaba realized that she had crossed a line. The king was angry, and dangerously so.

"You will change, Elphaba. You _will_ find your gravity one way or another, and you will learn how to fight and lead our army with two feet on the ground, by whatever means necessary. Do I make myself clear?"

Without waiting for an answer, he turns to the serjeant-at-arms. "Bring her down and _keep her down_. Find the servants, have them bring the royal items again. And you," he turns to Glinda, "make sure she wears them, or there will be hell to pay."

With that, the two girls were left alone again. This time, when the servants came in to redress Elphaba under the keen eye of Pfannee, even she was wise enough not to put up a fight.

* * *

_A/N: Surprise one-day-earlier update because I'm headed to London for the remainder of the week. No Filter, Water Babies, Once, Avenue Q, and of course Wicked are all the shows I've got lined up for my trip. Especially excited to see Water Babies with Wicked alumni Louise Dearman. For those of you who haven't heard of her; she is the first person to play both Elphaba and Glinda in a production of Wicked, she is an incredibly wonderful person, and her voice is to die for. _


	4. Chapter 3: The escape

As soon as the door to the tower closes, leaving the two girls alone again, Elphaba growls in anger. "The audacity, Oz, I _hate_ him. That's it, we're running away."

"We are?" The blonde asked incredulously, as she watches Elphaba slowly begin to move around the room, weighed down by cloak and crown.

"Yes, we are." Elphaba hisses, giving up on walking around and instead gesturing at a few places around the room. "Okay, we need to find my mother's map and compass… oh, and the keys to Nessa's car, because I need you to drive me west to-"

Glinda interrupted her. "Okay, calm down. I'll find it. But there are a few problems with that plan of yours."

Elphaba looked both insulted and impressed at Glinda interrupting her and pointing out flaws in her plan. "Really? Such as…"

"Well, first of all you can't go west. When you leave Munchkinland you enter the Shifting Sands, and they are impossible to get through."

"Fair point." Elphaba nodded. "You'll have to take me east, then."

Glinda's jaw nearly hit the floor in shock. "How is east any better?!" She exclaimed. "The Vinkus is east, and their prince wants to tear out your heart, remember? And before you can even get to the Vinkus, you've got the wilderness, which is filled with dragons. Dammit, Elphaba, are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

It would always surprise Elphaba to learn how much Glinda could worry about her. Until a few years ago, she thought it was merely the blonde's sense of duty talking. Elphaba was a princess, and Glinda was little more than a glorified servant. It was her job to care about her. Lately, she wasn't so sure anymore.

"Glin…" Elphaba gently clasped Glinda's hands in her own, hoping to calm her down. "You know just as well as I do that dragons are little more than rumours and myths. The only 'dragon' anywhere near here is my father."

"And what about the war?" The blonde countered. "There will still be fighting there. Elphie, if they find out, they will tear out your heart! Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"The fighting there won't be any worse there than here. And if we go off the beaten path, right into the mountains, we will avoid the fighting altogether. No one will think to look for me there. Glinda, please." She pleaded. "I have to leave."

Glinda stayed silent for a moment, trying to think of an alternative. She knew Elphaba couldn't stay here, but she also didn't want her in harm's way.

Eventually, she conceded. "Fine. I'll help. But your plan is still flawed."

Grinning, Elphaba let go of her hands. "Duly noted. Thank you."

"Yes yes…" The blonde huffed, stuffing the compass, map, and keys in her bag. "Thank me when we actually make it out of here alive. Speaking of, how _do_ you manage to get us out of here?"

"With this, of course." Elphaba gestured at the getup she was wearing. "You didn't honestly think I was still wearing this because I thought it made me look nice, did you?"

"Well, it does grow on you." Glinda replied playfully, which earned her a slap on the arm form Elphaba.

Slowly but steadily, Elphaba still being weighed down by her extravagant getup, the two girls made their way down the stairs of the tower. When they were halfway down, however, a guard stopped them.

"Fugitive princess!"

Elphaba didn't seem to be paying attention to him, instead using her newly gained weight to shove the man aside. Heavy as the crown, robe, and spear were, however, they weren't quite heavy enough.

"Nice try." The man spoke. "But if you're going to sneak past me-"

"Sneak past?" Elphaba interrupted him. "I have plans to go out to visit my mother's grave, it requires no sneaking."

"Really?" The man drawled. "Because last I checked, my orders were to make sure you and that pauper stayed up in that tower."

Elphaba laughed mockingly. "Haven't you heard? I give the orders now. And I command you to let us pass."

"If you think I'm going to take orders from a cursed vegetable, you've got another thing coming."

"Oh go to hell, she's now your future queen!" Glinda snarled. Sensing both Elphaba and the guard staring at her, she meekly added "Well, it's true…"

"Indeed it is." Elphaba spoke, turning back to face the guard. "You heard the lady, let us pass."

Though taking orders from a glorified servant was far beneath the man, he dare not defy the new princess' orders. Grudgingly, he stepped aside, and let the girls pass.

As they continued, Glinda, who was still embarrassed about her sudden outburst, kept her head down and avoided eye contact. Elphaba, meanwhile, couldn't quite wipe the impressed smirk off her face.

"So what was that all about then?" She asked, not entirely able to keep the gleeful tone from her voice. "I didn't know you were so adamant at me becoming queen."

"Well, it's like I said; that royalty look does grow on you." This did little more than add fuel to the fire, the green girl's eyes now truly sparkling with mischief. But before she could react, another guard interrupted them, and the moment was lost.

"And where do you think you're going?" Elphaba sighed in annoyance, but kept walking. "I'm going to have to repeat this at least 5 times over, don't I?"

"Probably." Glinda squeaked, as the guard gripped both their arms and began to drag them back. This only angered Elphaba further. She hated being manhandled.

"I command you unhand me, sir!" The man only scoffed. "And defy a direct order? Why in Oz would I do that?"

"Because I am giving you new orders. And those orders are to let me and my friend pass to visit my mother's grave." This was enough for the man to loosen his grip, and for Elphaba to free herself. "And if you defy those orders, I'll make sure your family starves. Do I make myself clear?"

"As crystal, princess."

"Good." She smiled. "Come, Glinda, we've got a way to go yet."

As they continued walking, the faint mutter of 'I wish Nessarose were still here' could not be missed. Elphaba grumbled something unintelligible, and Glinda once again linked arms with her friend. "To be fair, Elphie, that was a little harsh…"

"Well, I doubt they would listen to me otherwise." Glinda decided to leave it at that, not wanting to fight Elphaba right now. Instead, she lightly squeezed her arm as if to reassure her, and they kept going.

It went on like that for a while, until they arrived at the front gates of the palace, which they knew were locked. The keys were in the hands of another guard, who stood watch by the door. Elphaba, who had just about had enough of being spoken to like an insolent child, didn't even give the man the chance to open his mouth before she started speaking.

"You! We are visiting my mother's grave, and demand you give us the keys. Obey, or you'll be shorter by your head."

The guard, taken aback by the sudden whirlwind of green rushing at him, could only stammer out a confused 'What?'.

"You'll be decapitated." Glinda clarified, knowing Elphaba might just about lose it if they didn't get out of the palace sometime soon. The guard being too shocked or stupid to catch on to the threat right away couldn't possibly have helped her friend's mood, especially because her patience was running especially short.

Luckily, Glinda's clarification did the trick, and within the minute the two girls were outside and on their way to the garage. As they moved, Elphaba rids herself of the robe and crown, glad to lose the extra and unnecessary weight. As she is about to throw away the spear, however, Glinda stops her.

"Oh no, we're keeping that one." Glinda spoke, taking the spear from Elphaba. "You are _not_ sending us both into that wilderness unarmed."

Elphaba decided not to fight her on that one, realizing that Glinda did have a point. Even if she still believed the blonde was overreacting, she didn't want to take the risk that Glinda's life might be endangered because of her being too stubborn.

She did, however, look surprised when Glinda spoke again, shortly after she heard the engine of Nessa's car roar to life. "I've just noticed another flaw in that plan of yours."

Elphaba frowned, as the car slowly started moving forward. "Which is?"

"I don't actually know how to drive this thing."

At that, Elphaba burst out laughing. Glinda, who was trying her hardest not to let the car swerve of the road, was pouting. "It's not funny, Elphie!"

"It is." The green girl laughed. Glinda, on the other hand, found it anything but funny. "Elphaba Thropp, if we die because of this I will kill you myself."

This was enough to keep her from laughing out loud, but she was still grinning for a solid five minutes after.

As they drove on, Elphaba remembered something. "You said 'another' flaw. Are you ever going to tell me what that second flaw in my plan was? The one from the first two you pointed out."

"If you have to ask, then no." Elphaba shrugged, taking this as a sign the blonde was still mad at her.

The rest of their journey continued in silence, until the road they were taking drove them past an army. It didn't seem like much of an army though. They weren't as much marching forward as they were slowly stumbling forward, their swords dragging through the muddy ground.

"Is that… our army?" Elphaba hesitantly asked, dreading the answer. Glinda only nodded slowly in response. "They must be headed to the Vinkus."

"From the looks of it, they're headed to ruin."

They kept on driving, but Elphaba couldn't stop staring at the soldiers, each looking more helpless than the last. She felt guilty, knowing she had played a part in making them this way. "Is the refusal of an unwanted princess to lead them really enough to cause them to give up?" She wondered out loud.

"Don't ask me…" Glinda wanted to reach out to her friend, to comfort her, but she thought it better to keep both hands on the wheel.

"They are terrified… I can sense it even here. They're headed for their deaths and they know it." Elphaba sank back in her seat best she could, wondering for a split second if maybe she could do something to help them. She immediately dismissed the idea; if they were weak enough to give up because of her, they deserved what was coming to them.

"You know, one would say you noticing that does make you queen material." Glinda spoke hesitantly, which caused Elphaba to scoff. "Nonsense. It just makes me a wise, worldly woman."

"Naturally." Glinda replied, unable to suppress a grin knowing she was right. She had always thought Elphaba would make a good queen, if only she didn't have such hatred for her own people. Not that Glinda blamed her for that; if she had been the one locked in a tower and forgotten after suspicion of witchcraft, she would hold a grudge too.

Just then, they passed the serjeant-at-arms, whose mood immediately seemed to brighten. "Your highness, you came! You're like your sister after all!"

Glinda visibly winced behind the wheel, knowing that that had been exactly the wrong thing to say. As anticipated, any lingering doubts that may have led to the princess helping out the army vanished, and Elphaba lunged for the steering wheel. "No! Glinda, drive away, I am _nothing_ like my sister!"

This had also been a wrong move. Startled, Glinda hit the gas, and fighting over control over the steering wheel caused both girls to lose control over the car. As they struggled to regain control, managing to interfere with one another in every possible way, both the compass and the map flew out of the car and into the wilderness. Elphaba tried to grab for them, as did Glinda, which sent the car spinning again. Deciding their safety was more important, the girls returned to fighting over the wheel.

By the time Glinda had gained control again, after a lot of fighting and screaming, the army was completely out of sight. Looking around, realization suddenly set in. "We're lost aren't we?"

"Utterly." Glinda replied.

"Perhaps veering from the path wasn't such a smart idea." Elphaba suggested, after which Glinda rolled her eyes. "Oh, what makes you say that?" She snapped, refusing to look at Elphaba. She had zero interest in getting even more lost than they already were.

Elphaba was about to reply and start an argument, when Glinda suddenly hit the brakes, causing the green girl to shoot forward. "Ouch, what in Oz was that for?!" She exclaimed, glaring at the blonde.

But Glinda didn't reply. Her eyes seemed fixed on a point ahead of them. Though Elphaba couldn't see her face, she assumed it was frozen in fear. When she too looked at what Glinda was staring at, she understood.

Approaching in the distance, there was a dragon.

* * *

_A/N: If anyone living in the UK still has a chance to see Water Babies in Leicester before May 17th, I highly recommend it! Lovely fairy tale musical with an amazing cast! The revival of Miss Saigon is also absolutely worth checking out, especially if you can get dayseats._


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